#SBC19: home runs and whiffs

Probably my most enjoyable convention in quite some time, partly because I stayed in the HQ hotel with the SBC heavy hitters. I spent my own money doing so. They surely did not. Good to see Kevin Ezell in the lobby very early in the morning, 5:30-6:00, working for us.

The Westin had some very helpful people. They worked out a problem for me: Home run

Yeah, that’s Johnny Hunt ahead of me walking at about the same pace. Well, we are about the same age. SBCV colleague Todd walked with me one morning, brisk three miles. He hikes the Grand Canyon. I hike downtown Birmingham, such is life, but I enjoyed the company.

All the cranes and construction equipment fascinate me as much as they did when I was a kid: Home run.

This convention had a different look and feel to it. It was less pretentious, more diverse; had a more sensible schedule, panels that actually addressed things that were relevant and current: home run.

J. D. Greear spoke everywhere and, seemingly, did so effortlessly. Hit the right notes: Home run. Take a day off, JD. I wasn’t present for the last session.

Here’s Jason Allen in the elevator with me. Tall, suave, GQ ready. I think Kevin Ezell needs to get him for next year’s Send luncheon and maybe mess his hair up or something, if he can reach that high. No question about the enhanced recovery of MBTS under his leadership. It looked for a while that we should downsize to five if they couldn’t get their act together.

Explain to me how you can get thousands to a Monday night panel session, a late Monday night session, for a subject like sex abuse in the SBC. Yet, that’s what happened. Give the ERLC credit and Phillip Bethancourt credit for leading the panel. Yes, I’m aware that panels don’t solve problems but no one would have predicted that SBC convention attendees would set aside time for this sort of thing: Home run.

Rachel Denhollander called out one SBC church and pastor for their poor handling of a sex abuse case and chastised the SBC Executive Committee for quickly “clearing” most of the SBC churches called out by JD Greear in February: home run. If abuse victims and advocates can speak forcefully and specifically, then SBC leaders can as well. We’ve got these unwritten rules that leaders should never criticize each other or churches. Let’s toss that rule aside.

OK, brethren and sistren, we have high level committees and boards. Leaders want to communicate that the composition of these is more than old white male insiders and denominational good old boys. No one would say, “We are really pleased to have on our committee, Joe Smith, an articulate African-American.” Can it be understood that saying, “We also had a really sweet lady, Jane Smith, on our committee” is just as bad? Why emphasize what could be said about a baby or child when referring to a woman? Why not make the statement that would communicate the competence and contribution of the woman rather than to essentially infantilize her? Can leaders give these things more thought, please? This is the 21st century, after all. Whiff.

Explain to me how you get 3,500 people to come on Monday, before the convention starts, to a lunch? Kevin Ezell has more personality in his little finger than all the other entity heads combined. Thanks for the chance to have some fun and remind the suits, some Armani I hear, that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought. I judge the four newest entity heads a whiff as a glam rock band. Greenway, Chitwood, Floyd, and Dew sounds more like a stuffy law firm. Kevin Ezell and the Send luncheon: grand slam home run.

Yeah, brothers, I saw those salmon colored and mint green colored pants. Might be a home run for you but a whiff for me. My sartorial opinions may not be challenged.

Adam Greenway has a great speaking voice, Rodgersesque: Home run. Hair would be nice but stuff happens with age I suppose.

The BJCC is Byzantine. Some facilities had 1960s style faucets. If Alabama can pay Nick Saban about $8m per year, do some upgrading. Whiff.

BJCC personnel: Home run.

I attended my first Executive Committee meeting as an incognito observer. Distinguished looking bunch. Sedate, respectful discussions of relevant business. Wait, there’s an Executive Committee member sucking on a Blow Pop. How about setting a standard for decorum in the SBC curia? Thanks. Whiff on that. Overall, the EC staff was impressive and the meeting well run well and open to the hoi polloi: home run for those.

Here’s the drill: You have a motion. You present the motion. You don’t prattle on about the motion. Some messengers with motions: whiff.

The most important motion was that of Morris Chapman and concerned reporting by SBC entities to the Executive Committee. The EC should use this motion to improve and strengthen these requirements. Entities should be legally required to provide sufficient data to the EC. This information should include, I say, the salaries of executive level leadership for all of our entities, but good luck on getting that. Home run, Morris. Let’s see what Ronnie Floyd does with this.

Babies in infant carriers at the convention: always a home run, but better you young parents than me.

Saw a one or two year old girl who plopped down on the skywalk and issued a world class pout: home run. I’ve seen that before, very cute.

Hey, mom and dad of the precocous, articulate, red headed kid that got platform time, be sure you understand this is humor: The kid will never obey you again. He’s a celebrity now. Parents are toast.

I’m sick of hearing about complementarianism in general and especially when accompanied by a sack full of modifying adjectives: Whiff.

Rachel Denhollander, Beth Moore, Susan Codone: home runs.

So, an SBC youth minister can sexually abuse a teenager who confesses the abuse to her pastor who fires the youth minister and then continues the sexual abuse of the teen where the youth guy left off. And the pastor can continue on in ministry? That was Susan Codone’s story and is the essence of the problem of sex abuse in the SBC. Disgusting, disheartening, and deplorable.

You didn’t notice but the average church Cooperative Program percentage dropped slightly: whiff. Maybe Ronnie Floyd can inspire enough pastors and churches to stop this.

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About William Thornton

William Thornton is a lifelong Southern Baptist and semi-retired pastor who served churches in South Carolina and Georgia. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. You may find him occasionally on Twitter @wmgthornton.

I enjoyed the morning hike as well and getting to know you better. Great Convention, great company with the SBCVoices gang.

June 13, 2019 9:10 am

Dean Stewart

The home runs were numerous and the one whiff I mention is no one’s fault, it just happens. I believe we have 17 living former presidents. Of the 17, only 6 were on the platform for the recognition of past presidents: Draper, Elliff, Wright, Luter, Floyd, and Gaines. The ones I believe that are alive but were not there are : Stanley, Vines, Chapman, Young, Henry, Patterson, Merritt, Graham, Welch, Page, and Hunt. I enjoy seeing the past presidents on stage and wish more were there for the recognition.

Also, we recognized the passing of former president, Bailey Smith. I am grateful we honored Bro. Bailey. Unless I missed it, we never mentioned that past president, Jimmy Allen, passed away this year. Dr. Allen was certainly a moderate and was later involved in the CBF but was considered one of the most influential Baptists of the 20th century. He pastored First San Antonio and was the head of our radio and television commission. I believe not mentioning his passing is a whiff.

I too wish more of our presidents were there. Some of those guys seem hardly involved in convention affairs anymore though. A few of them are still very involved and were at the convention, but must have gone home before the time of recognition.

June 13, 2019 12:19 pm

David Griffin

I was really impressed by Jason Allen on that panel. Really liked everyone on that panel (I don’t remember a title for it). The panel on racial reconciliation was really helpful and challenging as well.

I respect Rachel Denhollander and I am thankful for the efforts she is making to help Southern Baptists be better. Her voice is an important one that Southern Baptists need to listen to. However, the things she criticized the Village church on seem unfair. She criticized them for not releasing the name of the accused abuser, but they were following the request of the investigating detective to not release the name. He believed it could hinder his investigation. Also, she criticized them that in not releasing the name it prevented others from coming forward but they did meet with everyone they could find from the camping trip to inform them of the situation.

It seems like there may be some valid criticism of the Village’s handling of the situation, but hers does not seem fair. They reported immediately to the police and asked the family to report. They cooperated with the investigating detective. They attempted to serve the family. Now the family us going to sue them so they may have dropped the ball somewhere on caring for the family but it does not seem like that is the case because they were trying to ignore what happened or hinder an investigation.

Matt Chandler admitted that he and the church were imperfect. But it does seem like they were trying to do the right thing. Also, it seems like that New York Times writer has an agenda to make the Village church look as bad as possible.

There’s too much defensiveness here. Accusing the media of an agenda is classic. Jumping to justify the pastor and church is classic. The better course would be to deplore the abuse, sympathize with the victims, and watch to see how this unfolds. It will all come out in time.

June 13, 2019 1:09 pm

David Griffin

I do deplore the abuse and sympathize with the family. What happened was horrible, and I am thankful they bravely came forward. I can’t imagine what they are going through, and wish them healing.

At the same time, do we just ignore it when people say unfair things about a situation especially when they are praised for doing it on this blog? Classic doesn’t make it untrue. I read the reporters twitter feed. Hard to consider her an unbiased observer after reading that. Again, Denhollander’s condemnation does not seem fair given the facts given by Chandler. I am not blindly defending Chandler or TVC. I think they got the situation wrong in 2015, and it seems like they made mistakes in this situation as well…just not the ones pointed out by Denhollander.

Agreed David. I’ll defend a well-meaning godly pastor over a known secular/liberal media outlet any day. A less than perfect response, which was acknowledged, is not grounds for condemnation, much less a lawsuit. Tragic situation and prayers indeed for victim and family, for healing and peace in the midst of their pain.

I would say well meaning pastors need to learn something “about” secular media not “from” them.
It is true most pastors are not prepared for handling secular media. That was a set-up for which he obviously was not prepared and did not handle well. He should have never agreed to that interview. We (pastors/church) have other avenues for answering questions and explaining situations.
With that said, he does need to take responsibility. Probably too late for him to do much here, but he should learn from it and make every effort to take corrective action to prevent future occurrences and provide a better response to such as do arise.

June 15, 2019 3:28 pm

David Griffin

This is a sad situation. I hope well-meaning pastors can learn from secular media even when that secular media is clearly biased and inaccurate.

June 18, 2019 12:12 pm

David Williams

Can someone articulate the three questions from the floor to Dr. Moore? They were all three directed directly to him personally and not the ERLC. The man must have been a lawyer in a previous life. He is super sharp on his feet! Thanks

We got a room in the convention hotel once when using the reservation system. When we checked in, the type of room we had booked was “oversold” so they put us in one of the executive suites on the top floor. I had some interesting elevator rides that time.

From the press coverage, I would say that the direction and action the convention is taking to handle the sexual abuse crisis is a home run. Other than Baptist press reporters none of the media outlets, including Fox, has any understanding of how the SBC operates as a denomination. They are all pre-disposed to hierarchical, top down denominations where spiritual authority is vested in leaders that are selected in a process as far removed from a democratic one as it can get. They don’t get that the executive board can’t defrock a pastor or remove him from a pulpit. They don’t understand that the convention exists only for the two days of the year that it is in session, that its actions aren’t binding on churches and that it also cannot defrock or ordain ministers or fire pastors. Within all of those limitations, there is not much of an understanding of how huge it was for the convention to change bylaws and recommend altering the constitution to handle this particular crisis. I’d call that a grand slam.

June 14, 2019 2:22 pm

Dee Parsons

I want you to know that the Houston Chronicle is well aware of how the SBC operates asa denomination. The spent many an hour with a group of us being schooled on church autonomy, etc. The ugly history of sex abuse in the SBC has caused many journalists to become schooled in the matter. It isn’t rocket science.

You’re right, it’s not rocket science. I wasn’t at the convention, but I read press coverage online from several different sources. I will say that the Houston Chronicle wasn’t one of them. I did not see much coverage that lent itself to convincing me the writers and reporters fully understood Baptist polity. One of the daily news headlines referred to the convention as “The Southern Baptist Church.”

This will work if the leadership demonstrates seriousness about it and actually leads. The problem the SBC has had in recent years is that it has given leadership posts as rewards for loyalty instead of based on the ability to lead and a lot of churches have stopped paying attention. Convention attendance confirms that the following isn’t what it used to be. It appears that has started to change.

The Chronicle and Express reporters, the national religion reporters, and a few others fully grasp the autonomy business. A good many others who cover a big SBC story occasionally do not. Most of the abuse victims understand it all too well, as do most of the victim advocates. Seems to me that SBC polity is better understood by media than in the past.

Between now and next year’s convention in Orlando I expect that then problem of autonomy and the database will be addressed.

June 16, 2019 5:30 am

Les Colvin

Historically, attendance usually follows major issues and controversy. I had wondered last year if many of the young guys who attend T4G, Sing Conference, etc., and may not make SBC a priority. Apparently, that is not the case. They must get more conference money than we did back in the day.
FYI, for what it’s worth. I thought this year’s convention was overwhelmingly home-runs.

And it was so freeing wearing my jeans and plaid shirt with the shirt tail out. Much better than the suits we used to wear in 100 degree weather.

June 16, 2019 10:09 am

Tarheel_Dave

Couple of whiffs about those resolutions (you know, those resolutions that are irrelevant samplings only of those in the room or absolutely reflective of the beliefs of the whole convention – Depending, of course on who you ask – and even when you ask them…but I digress.)

Resolutions crammed in at last minute. Whiff.

Resolutions committee report still not available to messengers in advance. Whiff.

Lots of homeruns clearly outnumbered the whiffs. All in all…great convention. Good and important stuff accomplished.

I was blessed to actually and finally lay eyes on and have conversation with the incomparable CB Scott – an opportunity I have desired for numerous years…now THAT was a grand slam.

I also got to chat and hang some with pretty cool other guys and ladies too…..another homerun.